A Hatred Most Foul
by KigurumiJedi
Summary: Kagome would rather die than be submissive to all-around jerk of the high school, Naraku. But upon a truce being formed, will both parties be able to keep their word? Or will there be all-out war when revenge shows the ugly side of a formidable foe?
1. Suffer Well

**AN: Trigger warning for bullying based on weight.**

* * *

She stared down at the lunch in her hands rather lethargically, noting how much more dull it seemed to be than the day before. No more full of life than a dead rat, and just about as appetizing. Kagome decided to throw out the questionable food, rather than consume it. She was on a diet anyways.

When she reached the table that had been deemed the usual meeting spot of her group of friends, she saw that she had been the first to arrive, as usual. As she took a seat, a familiar voice greeted her from behind.

"Kagome!" Came the sounds of a girl who took her seat next to Kagome. "All this school work is killing me, but at least I get to hang out with you guys once a day I guess." Her face contorted into a pout.

"Hey, Sango. Gonna crunch some math problems for lunch?" The corner of Kagome's mouth itched into somewhat of a smirk. Her friend was laid back, but had some trouble keeping focus on things that weren't school work. Not that anyone could blame her, with how much of a backlash a student would receive for not completing a project on time.

"Apparently so!" Sango sighed before setting a book down in front of herself. She took a glimpse over at her raven-haired friend. "What about you? No lunch, _again_? Kagome..." Her brow furrowed, worry quickly building up in her voice.

"No, no, it's not like that." Kagome was quick to jump to her own defense. "I happened to eat before you got here, as a matter of fact!"

"You can't keep letting him do this to you." She saw right through the lie.

"I'm not letting him do _anything_ to me. I know better than to let some bully stick his nose in my life and try to control me to the point that I don't eat because of him. I'm not stupid." She placed a hand on her chest, feeling somewhat offended.

"Well... alright." Sango checked her cell phone, eyeing the time. "Looks like I've gotta get going, the bell's gonna ring." She moved from her seat and started putting her belongings away. "Kagome... please just be careful." She put a hand on her friends' shoulder.

Kagome stood up, avoiding what she could of Sango's hand. "I'm always careful." She looked down before walking away.

Just as well, seeing as how the school bell rang in a rather timely fashion. Lunch time was officially over and the girl was no more full of energy than she had been before lunch period.

She trotted off to her fifth class of the day, choosing to walk a specific yet out of the way path to her classroom. Kagome was hoping to avoid confrontation with a rather well-known male of high repute in the school. This male, known simply as Naraku, was more than bad news to her - he was her bully.

A simple run-in with him could mean humiliation, pain, or tears. Not just in a secluded area either, he liked to prey on her in front of nearly the entire school. He was the main reason she decided to start losing weight, even though she already stood at a healthy weight.

She sighed in relief as she stepped into her next class, having successfully avoided the troll. Maybe he'd think she was out sick for the day when he didn't see her walking her normal path.

Close, but no dice. She turned to peek at the door, and outside she saw the vile teenager - and as luck would have it, he saw her. But he wouldn't dare enter with a teacher there, right?

_Wait, why is he coming inside the classroom? Why is he handing that paper to the teacher? Why is he walking towards me? WHY IS HE SITTING BY ME?!_

Kagome nearly cried right then and there as these questions passed through her mind. What made it worse was that she knew Naraku had transferred into her class when he pulled out the class subjects' book and set it on his new desk. She froze up, trying to pretend she didn't exist as the class started. The teacher began talking, but all she was aware of was the glare laid on her by the boy next to her.

She felt something nudge her, and then felt it fall into her lap. Her hand reached down to it, and found a ball of paper. Of course he'd pass notes.

She dreaded to open it, but looked down as she did so carefully.

"So, Kagome, lost any weight lately? Or have you gained it per the usual routine of a lard-ass of your girth?" She winced as she read it, she could nearly hear his chuckle. But if she didn't reply back, things would get a lot worse.

"No, I haven't. I'll have you know that I've been on a diet, not that it's any of your business. Don't you have a girlfriend to harass?" She shoved the paper onto Naraku's desk, and only a few moments later received the paper back from him.

"Changing the subject, are we? Tsk, tsk, tsk. What about you? Don't you have a boyfriend? Or did you eat him? You're disgusting." Kagome nearly grit her teeth as she sent him a reply.

"What about me? What about you? You must have no life if you dedicate it to trying to get under my skin day and night. Why must you make someone else suffer so? Is it that you yourself are hurting? Do you feel so insecure about yourself that you need someone else to feel as hateful of themselves as you do about yourself to validate your two-dimensional feelings that you are in fact, not alone? When in reality, you know that no matter what you do, they can always move on.

"They can move on from you and your petty slights and your petty jabs and your petty remarks, and they can fix their lives. When you, you can't let go. You can never let go and move on, you've never been able to. Tell me Naraku, does it hurt? To know no one will ever love you when your vile personality gets in the way? I may not have very many friends, but what friends I do have, aren't fake. Your whole demeanor reeks of just that - fake." Kagome was fuming silently as she passed the note back to the victim. It took a while, but she finally received one back.

"This is why no one likes you. You don't shut the fuck up when you damn well know you should. You should just kill yourself like your father did. Or I can teach you your place and do it for you." A death threat and mentioning her dead father, that was a new one. She must've struck a few nerves with him. She sighed; this wasn't worth it.

"Naraku, I have a question. Just one question. That's all I ask." And she handed it back over to him to let him decide if he would let her ask or not.

He must have been curious with the reply, as she received back, "Just one question. No more than that. Make it short." And so she did.

"Tell me why you hate me?" Kagome was hoping to add on more, but that was all she could write out before Naraku snatched the paper from her and examined it.

"Skip next period and meet me in the student parking lot. Do it now or don't do it at all." She had just enough time to read his reply before the bell rang. She looked over to the seat beside her, but saw that Naraku had already left. So she grabbed her backpack and headed out, hoping to resolve this once and for all.

* * *

Kagome had her doubts that she'd be able to actually talk to Naraku. After all, how well does talking to the school's worst bully in real life actually go? A civil conversation is far from what she'd be expecting from him, even more so considering how intelligent he actually was.

Everyone had known of his near child-genius statistics on tests and projects. It was always a goal for anyone whom had a class with him to avoid being his project buddy, seeing as he always took joy in making his partners look like they did nothing at all. Even when he half-assed his own side.

He'd most likely be expecting Kagome to talk him into letting his guard down and stop picking on her - and end up lashing out at her, or at the very least have his suspicions. It's too bad he had to waste his intelligence on hurting others and acting like a raging asshole. He could make the world a better place.

She made her way undetected by school authority (and pretty much everyone else) out to the student parking lot, at Naraku's request for it to be the predetermined rendezvous point, and spotted her target smoking a hand-rolled cigarette not far away. Typical bad boy behavior; she had her suspicions on just how stereotypical he might get.

Kagome hugged herself as she walked up to the enemy - she was scared, and disliked being so close to someone so bad for her with no witnesses around. Sango would have a fit.

"So, you actually made it here on time. Looks like you're pretty set on getting an answer out of me." Naraku took a long puff of the cigarette between his fingers, holding in the smoke. "Too bad I don't care to answer your pathetic ass." He stepped up to Kagome, intimidating her with his very presence, and exhaled all of the smoke into her face. He grinned as he watched her cough and have to steady herself. The teenager liked his tobacco strong.

Kagome grimaced as she swatted away all the smoke. "Naraku! Can you just stop trying to ruin every aspect of my life for once and at least _try_ to be civil, or at the very least _try_ to be an honest human being? I'm asking you from the bottom of my heart, please!" She sounded desperate, and looked it too. But when she searched Naraku's face for any sign of a reaction, she merely found the cold expression that greeted her every time he found a new way to keep her awake at night in fear.

"_The bottom of my heart_? Excuse me?" He scoffed before taking a seat on his motorcycle nearby, and grabbed the accompanying helmet. Another stereotype. "Listen sweetheart, I don't know what kind of sappy bullshit you're trying to shove down my throat to get me to open up, but it isn't going to work on me. Just face the facts that I hate you and will never even come close to opening up about it. I'm not a fuckin' wuss." To drive the point home, flicked his cigarette at her, which she managed to avoid.

"But... Earlier you made it sound like you'd give me an answer." Kagome paused for a moment, before proceeding to furrow her brow. She realized she was being burned by him once more.

"I only said to meet me out here; I never said I'd give you an answer." Naraku turned his bike on and revved it up, drowning out any instant complaints that his victim may have had.

"...So this was just a way for you to take a jab at me again? So you could make me look like an idiot again?!" She raised her voice both in anger, and for audibility.

"Pretty much!" Naraku yelled before taking off, leaving her in the sense of his incredibly douchey presence.

So there she stood, coerced to ditch a class, lied to and insulted once more, and humiliated in front of dozens of cars.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at the motorcycle disappearing in the distance. _No more_.


	2. Last Nerve

Sango sighed as she sat down on one of the steps leading down to the porch in her backyard and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed her boyfriend's number and waited somewhat anxiously for him to pick up. When he finally did, she stumbled over her words, having no idea where to start.

"Miroku, Kagome's in my living room. She's... really mad and fuming about you-know-who and something he did. I don't quite know what happened and I don't know what to do. Help me." She sounded lost enough for her boyfriend to be put into distress, but he was at a loss as well. They both ultimately decided that having Kagome calm down and Sango listen would just be the easiest and most effective way to go about things, as it would be in any situation such as this.

So Sango stepped back inside and headed to the living room to find her friend lying face down on the couch, sobbing into a pillow. The brown haired girl frowned and sat down beside Kagome's head, and started brushing through her hair with her fingers to try to soothe her at the very least.

"It's okay, Kagome. It's okay to feel like this, and cry, and be angry. You have every right to be. But I'll be right here beside you until you feel better, no matter how long it takes. And when you feel better, we'll talk about it, okay?" Sango brushed some hair out of her friends' face and heard a murmur of agreement.

So for the next few hours chic flicks played on Sango's tv as ice cream was eaten straight from its tub. Tears were shed, and laughs were had. And Kagome ultimately managed to cheer up, thanks to her best friend. By the time they'd run out of movies to watch, it was already dark outside.

The raven haired girl sniffled a bit. "Sango, I don't know what I'd do without you." She leaned over and wrapped her arms around the other girl, giving her a tight hug which was returned.

"I honestly don't know what I'd do myself without someone to look after as much as you either!" Sango smiled and reached for the tv remote, shutting off the tv, seeing as it wasn't needed anymore for the night. Her comment did manage to get a good laugh out of Kagome, who seemed to be doing much better than earlier in the afternoon.

"Alright, well, I'll let you know what happened. I think you've been suffering enough in my anguish to know by now." Kagome sat up straight and prepared herself for story time. Sango promptly grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly, leaning in to get the full effect of the rant that was surely going to come.

"First off, Naraku _actually transfered into my English class_. And I'm being forced to sit next to the bastard! He then passed me some notes, which I stupidly replied to, and duped me into thinking I was going to finally get to find out why he hates me. He then proceeded to make me feel like a fool as he insulted me out in the open. He even threw his cigarette at me! And if that's not bad enough, I didn't even find out why he hates me!" Kagome leaned back against the couch and folded her arms, huffing in frustration.

"What a bastard! He can't get away with this." Sango leaned back against the couch with her friend, feeling almost as angry as she was.

"You're telling me. That's not even the worst part, I have detention tomorrow for ditching class." Kagome pulled out a small, slightly crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and tossed it on the coffee table before her. It had information as to where detention would be held and when. "But I'm not too bent out of shape over it, Naraku's being forced to go as well."

Sango leaned over and snatched the paper, reading it over. "Yeah, but you know him, he'll probably just ditch."

"Nuh-uh," The other girl shook her head. "He's done that way too many times, he's going to be forced to go. Not even his parents' money can save him this time."

"Well, good, it's about time he get punished for it. If you can even consider sitting around for a few hours punishment - it's just time-out for teenagers." Sango commented, getting a laugh out of her friend. "...But hey, it's getting late. I don't want you to have to walk home when it's so dark out. You think you'll be okay if you spend the night here? We can walk to school together in the morning."

Kagome smiled, barely having to think about it. "Sure, just let me call my mom. I know she trusts you enough to let me stay here, but she'll kill me if I don't let her know."

Sango got up from the couch, setting down the pillow she had been holding. "Moms will be moms. I'll get you a blanket and a spare set of pajamas so that you don't wrinkle your uniform. I hope you don't mind sleeping on the couch?"

"Not at all! Thanks, Sango." She smiled at her friend, and her friend smiled back before heading upstairs to get the promised cloths. In the mean time, Kagome pulled out her cell phone and dialed home, reassuring her mom that she was fine and that she'd be spending the night at her best friend's house, and that they'd be walking to school together in the morning. Her mom was fine with it and hoped she'd have a good night, which left Kagome feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Sango came back with a blanket and some pajamas for the raven haired girl, and said good night before leaving said friend to her own devices for the night.

Kagome then proceeded to change into the pajamas and tucked herself into the couch with the blanket and few pillows she had. She sighed and lie awake for quite a while though, trying to think of a way to get back at the wavey-haired douchebag that she just couldn't seem to get off of her mind. She frowned; he'd like the fact that she couldn't stop thinking about him, that it was eating her alive from the inside out.

Thus, she proceeded from that moment on to plot something so devious against Naraku that even she couldn't believe it had crossed her mind. But first she'd need some help...


	3. Preparing for War

Kagome awoke to the smell of something delicious being cooked by none other than her best friend. She remembered what she was only just scheming from the night before, and quickly hopped off of the couch, nearly dragging along the blanket she'd been sleeping with in her haste to get to the kitchen.

"Morning there, sleepy head! I thought I'd make you an omelet before we have to get going to school. I don't want you to be hungry while you have to put up with that asshole for hours on end." Sango was busy with the frying pan in front of herself, but found time to still chat.

"I want revenge." Kagome gave her friend a look that bore into her, saying that she really meant business. Sango turned off the pan and set aside the food that she was making, having finished it anyways.

"Revenge? ...How so?" The brown haired girl raised an eyebrow, not in the mood to scold. Naraku was bad news for anyone, and the sooner he was brought down a notch or two, the better.

"I thought over many ideas last night, and a lot of them seem too complicated to do, or had harsh repercussions for us." Kagome could sense the doubt filling both of them. "But that's why I came to you. I thought maybe you could dig up some dirt on him, or knew someone who could."

Sango bit her lip. "I don't think I do - to either of those. A lot of people don't even want to be in the same room as Naraku, let alone know him long enough to learn something about him."

Kagome folded her arms. "This presents a challenge. I'm willing to do it." She then proceeded to grab the omelet that was made for her and walk away.

Sango smiled and rolled her eyes. _That's the spirit_.

* * *

"Hurry up, we've gotta get to school or we'll be late!" Kagome called back to her friend as she walked away from the house.

"Wait up a moment!" Sango yelled back, locking the front door. The last thing she needed was to be grounded for something so small. She caught up with Kagome rather quickly though, and smiled. "Gee, thanks for waiting up for me."

"It was my pleasure." Kagome giggled before pulling out her phone and checking the time. "We've got just enough time to walk to school before the bell rings - as long as nothing slows us down."

"Oh yeah, I'd hate to be off by five seconds just because of a little distraction." Sango rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine. At least it's just detention and not an in-house suspension, right?"

"I guess. But it's still detention. And I'll be stuck with Naraku for an entire hour after school. It'll be just my luck if he sits right next to me." Kagome sighed and placed her hands inside the pockets of her jacket. It was a cold morning, and she'd have to take off her jacket as soon as she stepped on school grounds; a simple jacket was considered an obstruction of school clothing and was punishable by _another_ detention.

"Kagome... you know he's going to. It's _him_. The only thing you can do is just ignore him and not let it bug you. By reacting, you let him win." Sango knew her advice could only help so much - it was always easier said than done. "...But, listen, I'll hang out nearby until after you get out of detention. I'll ask Miroku to keep me company, too. That way, if anything happens, we'll be there."

"Thanks." That got a small smile out of the raven haired girl. "I'd like that."

And so they continued their walk to school, chatting away, until they reached close enough that they had to end the conversation and head their separate ways for the morning.

"Great! So I'll see you later. Oh, and I'll even walk you home with Miroku, if you'd like. I figure it'd be a lot safer than being open to something happening from you-know-who." Sango offered, worried about her friend.

Kagome only rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, I doubt he'd follow me home just for _that_. But I'll see you later."

"...I'm just saying. Be careful, you don't know what he's capable of." And with that bit of advice, Sango walked off to her class. Kagome frowned a bit and took off her jacket, stuffing it inside of her backpack.

_I'll be fine..._ She practically lied to herself before heading off to her own class, putting her backpack back onto her arms as she walked. As luck would have it though, someone came up from behind and smacked her backpack to the ground with enough force to nearly sprain her shoulders. She let out a small yelp in pain as Naraku just so happened to walk backwards past her, giving her a nasty look.

"Pick up your bag, whore. It's not nice to litter." He sneered at her, revealing he was the one to knock down her bag. He gave her a cold glare before turning and hustling off to his own class.

Kagome sighed and bent over to pick up her backpack. She couldn't believe she had to spend an entire hour with him in detention _in addition_ to the class he transferred into. She shuddered, having a bad feeling about him transferring into more of her classes in the future. But that would be just a little too crazy, so she let the feeling go.

She made it to her first class in the day just as the bell rang, even with the run-in she had with Naraku. She knew that she'd at least be able to make it to lunch hour and avoid him if she was careful, but after that all bets were off. Her next classes would be with friends though - she could use them as human meat shields.

The raven haired girl sighed and sat in her desk. She pulled herself together and looked out the window nearby. Today was gonna be a long day.


	4. Strange Meetings

A loud groan echoed through the hallway as class was finally released for lunch. Kagome was still staring at the big, fat D she received on her test as she made her way through the door. "I don't believe this! Even with all that studying I did." She leaned against the wall beside the door, waiting for her friend to join her outside of the room. "My mom is gonna kill me..."

"Not if she doesn't find out. Maybe you can pretend there was no test. Who knows, it might work?" A short-haired male wondered as he walked out of the room, shrugging.

Kagome nearly rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like that worked the other hundreds of times I tried. Save your smarts for the ladies, Miroku. Or just save it for Sango. She'd probably kill you otherwise." She stood up and walked away to the quad area to wait at the usual table that her and her friends would hang out at.

Miroku bust out laughing before cutting himself off. "Wait, you're serious." He realized before catching up to his friend and walking with her. "She wouldn't really kill me."

"Not if you're honest. She knows how to hide a body." Kagome made it to their table and sat down, placing her bag beside herself.

"Which I am." He nearly exclaimed. Even though he _was_ honest, and everyone knew it, he always got rather nervous around his girlfriend when it involved other women. She could be quite fierce.

"Then you should have nothing to worry about. Just go and get your lunch, I'll keep an eye on her when she gets here. I promise." She smiled sweetly, reassuring Miroku into gratefully running off. Not that long after, Sango came walking up to the table. "Well speak of the devil! Your boyfriend and I just so happened to be talking about you before he left."

"Oh, really now? What about?" Sango smiled as she sat down next to Kagome, pulling a lunch box out of her bag.

"He was just nervous when I mentioned that he should 'save his smarts for the ladies'. He tried to make me feel better about failing the test we had in math, and I just ended up making him nervous; poor guy." She let out a light laugh before pulling her math book out from her backpack, wanting to study and get a better grade on her next test. "I'd prefer to not have to do the entire ninth grade over again. Being a freshman twice would suck!"

"You'd probably have a better chance at avoiding Prince Charming himself, though." Sango said before she started to chow down in her meal, only to notice that Kagome wasn't eating. "...No food? _Again_? We've talked about this."

Kagome froze for a moment, and set her book down. She knew she wouldn't get to study today. "I... was... waiting to ask you if you'd let me have some of yours. I forgot to pick up the lunch my mom made me. Too busy worrying about that test today... right?" She smiled somewhat awkwardly and scratched the back of her head, hoping her friend would buy it.

The brown-haired girl stared at her friend sternly before picking up her lunch box, and handing it to her. She continued to watch carefully until a good few bites were taken. Miroku decided to return with his lunch at that exact moment.

"Oh, hey Sango!" He leaned over to give his hunny a kiss on the cheek, easing up what small tension there was pretty quickly. He sat down across from them and immediately dug into his meal. "So how goes things?" Was the question that he managed to ask through his pigging out.

Sango didn't have many issues going on in her life, so she left the floor open to Kagome, who only sighed. "Things go bad. I've got English _and_ detention with Naraku. What did I ever do to him anyways?"

"Naraku? That snob that manages to get away with his own personal dress code?" Miroku furrowed his brow; he wasn't exactly in-the-know with Kagome's issues.

"Yeah, him. I heard the only reason he can get away with his punk get-up is because his parents give donations to the school all the time." Sango rolled her eyes, leaning against the palms of her hands.

"Honestly, you'd think it'd just be easier for him to either wear the uniform or drop out. He's such a stereotypical 'bad boy' that it's_ sickening_. He even drove away on a motorcycle when I tried to confront him!" Kagome folded her arms and huffed. Her distaste for said bad boy was overwhelmingly palpable.

"Calm yourself, girl. You've still got until lunch is over to avoid him, and after you're stuck with him in English, you get to have me all to yourself in P.E." Sango leaned back against her friend, smiling up at her. "And I already told you that me and Miroku would wait around for you until your detention is over. You know we wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"We wouldn't?" Miroku looked up from his lunch box, a perplexed look on his face. Up until now, he hadn't heard of his girlfriend's plan to stay after school. But she shot him a glare.

"That's right, we wouldn't." She finished for him. "So no matter what happens, you'll be safe. Okay?" Sango continued to lean against her friend, hoping to cheer her up a bit.

"...Yeah, okay. Thanks, bestie." Kagome smiled and wrapped her arms around her friend, getting a big hug in return. "I just... I wish I had a way to get back at Naraku for all the years of bullying, though." She looked up at Miroku, hoping he knew of a way to get revenge. He paid more attention to his food than to her though.

Sango lightly tipped her hunny's bowl into his face, startling him and getting his attention. "Hm, what?"

"Do you know of any way I could get back at Naraku? Any way possible _at all_?" Kagome was visibly desperate and in need of help, so Miroku placed a finger to his chin and thought for a good few moments.

"...You know, I might actually have something. But I'm gonna need some time to actually get a good plan together. I'm also gonna need to talk to Sango about it. So I should have something together for you by the time school is over... If that's okay, that is."

Kagome smiled, genuinely. "Of course it is. Thank you, Miroku."


	5. Partners

Lunch period was over, and Kagome begrudgingly waved goodbye to her friends before heading off to her next period. English class, where the dreaded brute probably lie in wait for her. She swore up and down that the only thing missing for him to be defined as an actual animal was being able to smell the fear of his victims. Which he could probably already do anyways.

There was no point in her having to go out of her own way on a carefully planned-out route anymore when Mr. Sunshine himself decided to transfer into her class. Kagome either didn't realize just how much he hated her all this time, or he had some kind of a sick and twisted crush on her. She guessed that it was the most likely the former.

Big surprise when she did finally reach her class, to find her enemy waiting at the door for her. He bowed his head and extended an arm towards the door, before smirking and looking back up at her. "Ladies first." He said rather coolly.

Kagome huffed and turned on her heel, nearly whipping Naraku with her hair in the process (which she would have been perfectly fine with) before entering the classroom and sitting down at her assigned seat. Now that her enemy had turned her favorite class of the school day into her most dreaded one, she could spend her time hating him instead of enjoying her surroundings. What a charmer; the ladies must go absolutely crazy over being stalked and harassed.

Only a few moments later, Naraku joined her in the classroom and took up residence in the seat next to her. Kagome somehow managed to eye him suspiciously from her peripheral vision.

"I know you transferred into my class, but do you have to sit _right next to me_?" She hissed out through gritted teeth.

"Shh, class is starting." He whispered against a finger pressed to his lips, and smirked at her. He received a hard glare in response. Kagome had no choice but to shut up and listen, though, as Naraku proved to be right when the bell rang and the teacher started to talk.

"Today, students, you'll be partnering up for a project. A project that many of you may hate; and that some of you, mainly those that are in the drama club, will find joy in. It's Romeo and Juliet. You will all be reenacting a scene, but none of you will be getting the same scene as another group of partners. You will be putting on a miniature play in front of the class of random scenes, with a random partner!" Almost every student in class groaned at once, Kagome perhaps groaned the loudest. Naraku, on the other hand, was already having a ball with this project.

"I will be selecting names from a hat, and then selecting your scenes from another hat. I won't be hearing of any complaints!" The teacher exclaimed before pulling out the first hat and sitting on their desk. They proceeded to call out nearly every name in the room, the last one being Kagome. They almost assigned Kagome to do a solo scene, before remembering the new student that just transferred in yesterday. "Ah, yes, that's right! ...Naraku, is it? You will be Kagome's partner." And in that moment, the raven haired girl could not possibly have facepalmed harder.

_This is like some idea out of a twisted young adult's story. _She was almost right with that idea, but nonetheless, the story must go on. The teacher started naming out scenes they were pulling from their hat, going around the room as he did so. Then, he finally reached Kagome and Naraku in the corner. _I bet this one's gonna be good... _She nearly groaned, just waiting for it.

"Act one, scene five, page 5. That would be... where Romeo convinces Juliet to kiss her for the first time. There we have it. I expect you all to gather the books from the bookshelf in the corner and start to work on what you'll be doing, and memorizing your lines. Project is due in two weeks, don't be sick or late." The teacher went back to their desk to do paperwork, as if he hadn't just ruined the lives of one of his students. Kagome's face was contorting into the ugliest expression - full of shock, and hatred. But mostly hatred. Before she could let Naraku react to this bit of news, she got up from her seat and quickly walked over to the teacher's desk.

"Excuse me, but... is the kissing scene... optional?" Kagome smiled sweetly, hoping that it would be.

The teacher looked up from his papers. "No, it's not. We're doing this as authentically as possible with as little supplies as possible. I want you teenagers to respect Shakespeare, and you can't do that unless you get into character! Oh, and don't think about being sick that day. This is an important project, and if you don't do it your grade will be deducted by one. Say goodbye to that C of yours, Kagome. Now back to your seat, off you go, you have some rehearsing to do."

Kagome hung her head and nearly cried right then and there, but managed to pick herself back up and travel the walk of shame to her desk. It was a wobbly walk of shame, and she carelessly dropped herself into her seat, hitting her hip against the desk. She knew it would leave a bruise, but all she could do was stare down at the plank of wood before her.

Naraku opened his mouth to make what would most likely be some form of derogatory comment, but Kagome placed her hand up in front of him, stopping him. "Don't. Just don't. You can make any silly little comment you want later, but not right now. I don't want either of us to end up in the nurse's office or getting sent home because of the reaction I may have. And if you plan on acting so smug, just realize - this project means that you have to _kiss me_. Which I bet you hate just as much as I do." She pulled her hand out of the air and heard silence, knowing that she got him to shut up before he even managed to say anything.

Kagome leaned over and placed her head against the desk. _If I don't get out of here soon, I'm going to kill someone._


	6. Run It Out

Luckily enough for Kagome, and the manchild seated next to her (who surprisingly knew when to keep his mouth shut) the bell rang, indicating the end of class. She stood up and turned back to grab her backpack, but noticed that her partner was already gone. She sighed, not looking forward to their project at all. Maybe Sango would know what to do.

* * *

Kagome stretched her arms as she wandered out of the locker room, dressed up in her PE outfit. She waited up for her friend before they both walked to the track to do their daily run with the rest of the class. She already mentioned the project, but was still flustered over it.

"I'm telling you Sango, it's just way too cliche. This school is out to get me." Kagome complained, starting out with a jog.

"Maybe there's some way out of it, there usually is." Sango tried to comfort her, joining her in the jog. They may not have been the fastest duo in the class, but they still got the job done.

"Unfortunately, I don't think there is. The only way out is to skip it, but I've already got a bad grade. The teacher's on to me and if I fail this, I fail the class. Stupid school." The raven haired girl took a moment to kick the ground in frustration before starting to run again.

"Just try to forget about him for now. Run out your frustrations." Sango furrowed her brow, unable to think of anything else to say.

"No Sango," Kagome sighed. "I can't forget about him when I'm forced to kiss him. He's a stupid jerk who shouldn't even be here. He's rich enough to afford a private school! He's rich and powerful and his family name is powerful, and if he hasn't dug up _some_ kind of info on my own family, then he's probably holding back somehow..." She sighed, slowing down a bit. "I know what I'm saying sounds crazy and it probably sounds like I'm overreacting, but think about it... If he really wanted to do something to me even worse than all of the other things he's done to me so far... he could. He's not stupid, so... is it possible that he doesn't hate me as much as I thought he did?" Kagome looked up at her friend, catching back up to her. Her friend stayed quiet for a few moments, before formulating a response.

"...Well, he _is_ a 'child genius' and all. That's the only reason his family is even in that situation. But he sure as hell doesn't even act like it. Sure, he's managed to get good grades despite all of the shit he causes, and he has a large vocabulary, but you'd think that with all of the brain he has that he'd tone it down on the brawn and actually _try_ to learn some common decency and manners." Sango sounded nearly disgusted; she had a bone to pick with Naraku over him hurting her best friend.

"We'll I did manage to get him to shut up earlier with a few things I said to him. So let's just hope it sticks." Kagome said, giving herself some hope.

"Amen to that." Sango sighed, nearly out of breath from all of the jogging.


	7. Detention

The last bell of the day rang, and Kagome was glad for that. She took her time dressing herself in the locker room though, not looking forward to being forced into another room with her enemy.

She grabbed her back pack and headed out of the building with Sango. "So I'll see you afterwards, right?"

"Yeah, of course! Miroku and I will be waiting just outside; Naraku won't be able to lay a hand on you after that. Just try to relax and ignore him, okay?" Sango reached out and gave her friend a hug, which was returned.

"I'll try." Kagome sighed before watching her friend walk off to go wrangle up her boyfriend. _It must be nice to have a boyfriend. Someone to catch you when you fall, to lean on when you cry..._

She shook her head of the thought and walked off to where detention was being held, the cafeteria. One glance inside and she could see it was packed; why must so many students fail the school? She was surprised to not see Naraku yet, and exhaled in relief. She stepped inside and sat down near the door, wanting to be the first one out of the door when this torture was over with.

A teacher then came in and sat down at a desk that was overlooking all of the tables in the room. "Pull out any homework you may have and get started on it. No talking. If I do hear you talking, you get detention _again_."

Kagome exhaled quietly before freezing in her seat. She and a few other students looked back at the door when they heard someone step inside - Naraku. _So he made it after all... I was starting to feel comfortable, too._ She frowned as she watched him carefully. He took a seat at a desk on the other side of where the door was, but still close enough to her to make the hair on her arms raise in anticipation of whatever he may attempt.

She looked back down at her table and pulled out a textbook, wanting to use her time wisely. Except for every few moments, the faint sound of crumpling paper was heard. She was starting to get annoyed, and it only worsened when a balled up piece of paper hit her in the side of the head. She grunted and picked up the paper, unfolding it quietly. It was blank. She turned slowly to glare at Naraku, who merely raised his eyebrows and looked off to the side, appearing innocent.

If looks could kill, the bad boy would be the dead boy about fifty times over by now. Death by lava sounded pleasing. Too bad he wasn't Anakin and this wasn't the Star Wars universe.

Kagome took out a pen and decided to write a message on the paper. _Passing notes again... this can only end well._ "Someday you're going to hit the wrong person with these things." She carefully crumpled it up and threw it back to him. Both her and Naraku looked over at the teacher, who couldn't seem to care less if a murder had been committed in that room.

She started to look back at Naraku, only to see him standing next to her. He instantly smashed the wad of paper into her mouth before quickly walking back over to his table. She was surprised at this action, to say the least. And then she unfolded the paper.

"Eat your words." Kagome looked back up at Naraku, furious. He was digging his own grave.


	8. Eavesdropping

Over the course of the next hour, insults and threats had been written, and several dirty looks had been given. The two enemies even ended up with a few spitballs and a paper airplane or two in their hair as battle scars. Ultimately, they had to call a silent truce as detention had ended.

Kagome packed up her belongings, sighing in relief as she was finally free for the day. She stood from the desk and walked towards the door before anyone else could crowd around her, and noticed on her way out that Naraku had already left. _Where does he always have to get to in such a hurry...?_

A smile lit her face as she saw Sango and Miroku waiting for her nearby. "Hey guys. Hope you weren't too bored while you were waiting for me."

Sango took a hold of Kagome's arms and looked her over. "What exactly happened to you? You look like you were stuck in a room full of unruly children."

Kagome's smile left rather quickly. "Naraku and I had a silent fight; neither of us won." She looked down, the whole episode replaying in her mind as Sango picked through her hair and cleared her face of any paper blemishes. It was at right about that moment that said culprit had leaned out from his hiding place behind a wall nearby. He wanted to use this opportunity to spy on his victim and possibly learn some information that he could use against her in the future. Instead, he received the following scene:

"Kagome..." Sango started in a soft voice, smiling sweetly at her friend, as she could sense something was wrong. "You defended yourself. You did what you felt was right. It's okay to not feel okay, and it's okay to be mad at the one responsible for making you feel like that. You can let it all out now; you're safe." She opened her arms slightly, giving room for her friend to act any way she needed to.

After a moment of letting it sink in, Kagome pushed herself into Sango's open arms and wrapped her own tightly around her frame. Her body shook slightly as she started to sob almost hysterically; which would be rather loud and echo down several hallways had the noises not been muffled by her friends' now soaked shoulder. Sango lay her hands on Kagome and softly pet at her hair and back, trying to soothe her. Kagome slowly looked up, face red and stained with tears.

"Sango... I-I don't understand... what I've done to deserve all of this. Why won't he leave me alone? ...Why?" Her voice was so stricken with sadness and hurt that Naraku could do nothing but watch her. He stared for about half a minute, his expression revealing nothing, before his view was stolen by the ground nearby. He left soon after.


	9. Schemings

Kagome dropped to her knees and Sango quickly sat down on the ground beside her, holding onto her. Miroku's expression was twisted into worry, and he felt rather helpless. He suffered from empathy pain at even the slightest scratch on someone else, but this was overwhelming for him.

He glanced at his girlfriend, who happened to see him, and raised his eyebrows at her, motioning with his hands to talk about a certain subject. His girlfriend in response waved him off before looking back down at her friend who was trying to calm down; she was to the point of hiccupping with some trouble breathing, but at least it wasn't a full-on waterworks show anymore.

After helping Kagome with a few breathing exercises to calm down further, she thought she'd finally bring up the plan for revenge on Naraku. Miroku chirped in mostly, rather excited and proud of his abilities to dig up information like this. Normally he would feel a twinge of guilt, but seeing one of his female friends doubled over on the ground in such emotional pain was enough validation for him to help out in any way he possibly could.

When she had heard enough, Kagome looked up at her friends, a rather large smile on her face. "It's genius. He won't know what hit him." Sango clapped her hands together and Miroku exhaled a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. They weren't sure if she was genuinely happy, or if her smile was of the slightly psychotic variety. Either way, Kagome appearing happy made them happy.

"Great, then we can do it tonight." Miroku said, making Kagome raise her eyebrows.

"Tonight? Really, that soon?"

"Yeah, there's a party tonight that I know Naraku will be at. We might as well get it over with while we're all still pumped up about it, right?" Miroku picked up his girlfriend's as well as Kagome's backpacks like the gentleman he was, hinting that they should probably get going soon.

"How Naraku's been treating you the past few days is... utterly despicable and I can't stand for it any longer as your best friend. This may not be the best way to go about things but _something_ has to be done to knock his ego down a notch or two." Sango stood up, holding out a hand to Kagome and pulling her up. They all started walking out to the student parking lot together.

"I'll drive us all there later. Why don't we hang out at Sango's house in the meantime and get ready? After swinging by my house so I can get ready first, anyways. You women always like to do things last minute." The girls both ignored Miroku's joke about their gender and headed to his car.

"Sure, I can get myself ready then and... oh!" Sango was all smiles at this point and leaned against her best friend while they walked together. "Kagome, you have to let me get you dressed up! You're going to look beautiful and make Naraku regret _everything_ when he gets one good look at you."

Kagome giggled quietly. "Bring it on."


	10. Quick Stop

Miroku pulled into the driveway at his house, and everyone in the vehicle quickly headed into his house. Kagome and Sango decided to relax on the couch in the living room while he quickly dressed himself in his room.

The girls chatted away about what the party might be like and if Kagome would possibly see any cute boys.

"Oh Sango, get real! I haven't got the time for boys." Kagome shook off her friend's suggestions, flustered. Sango smiled.

"Come on now, what am I dressing you up for after all?" She nudged Kagome, laughing lightly. "I know with everything going on that you don't have much time to be worrying over someone else. But I see the way you look at couples in the hallways at school. I just want you to be happy."

Kagome looked up at her friend as though she was going to say something, but Miroku walked up to them and interrupted their presence with the strong smell of cologne. Sango stood up and swatted away the pungent fumes from her face. "And just _who_ are you trying to impress with that smell?"

"You, baby!" He pulled her over and gave her a quick kiss, with neither of them noticing the longing stare that Kagome gave them. Not wanting to prove a point about her needing a boyfriend, Kagome stood and headed for the door.

"Well, let's get going. We have places to be, people to meet, and lives to ruin." She said, grasping the doorknob.

"Not before I get through with you anyways!" Sango followed after her friend as everyone made their way outside and back into Miroku's car.


	11. Prom Queen

When the trio arrived at Sango's house, the first one out of the car was her. She unlocked the front door to let her friends inside, and once actually inside they all took a moment to relax and breathe. A quick break was what they needed to gain some energy for the long night ahead.

Kagome took the time to make a call to her mother to tell her that she'd be staying at Sango's house for the night. Her mom was okay with it, but once the girl ended the call, she received judging looks from her friends.

"Oh, get over yourselves. I bet you'd do the same thing if it was _your_ parents." Kagome accused, knowing she was right when her friends conveniently looked away.

"Well, anyways, let's get you dressed up! I have _so_ many things to make you cute!" Sango grabbed Kagome's hand and dragged her to her room. Miroku preoccupied himself by plopping down on the couch in the living room and watching some quality television for a while.

Sango went straight for her closet and began tossing several articles of clothing onto a bed nearby. "Start going through these, and try to find a decent combination." She directed before heading into her bathroom and gathering different makeup and supplies.

Kagome did as she was told and dressed herself up in a rather nicely flattering martini dress that fit her form well. It had spaghetti straps though, to which Kagome covered with a small, matching jacket. She didn't feel comfortable showing off _too_ much skin to a room full of strangers.

Her friend then came back into the room with a batch of makeup. She looked Kagome over before tossing a pair of wedges at her. "Wear these."

The girl did as she was told before she was pushed into a sitting position on the bed behind her. Sango proceeded to primp her with makeup and hair care products. "Oh, you're going to look beautiful!" She beamed.

"Not if you kill me first." Kagome winced, trying to not let a tear ruin her makeup as Sango poked her eye with a mascara brush.


	12. Arrival

"Sango, if you don't finish up my makeup soon, I won't be able to hold in these tears and you'll have to start all over again!" The raven haired girl winced once more, nearly gritting her teeth. If beauty hurt, she never wanted to do this again.

Her friend sighed and put away some supplies. "Okay, okay, we'll take a break. Just don't touch your face or anything." She said before putting on a few finishing touches _away_ from the eyes. Kagome shut her eyes tight right after, forcing the tears back in. "Why don't you go watch a show with Miroku while I work on myself, and then we can get back to work on your hair and makeup... and outfit."

Kagome's eyes opened. "You mean I'm not done?" She frowned, and her friend smiled.

"No, but at least you get a break. I just want to make you look perfect. I never see you dressed up, and tonight's a special night! The night you finally get to crush the soul of your sworn enemy and feast on his hopes and dreams _**and make him wish he was never born**_." Sango gave such a sweet smile, but Kagome only stared at her.

"I uh, didn't know you felt that way. Glad I have a supporter." Kagome decided to just smile and be thankful that Sango wasn't an enemy. She left the room, leaving those damned wedges behind, and joined Miroku in some Bay Watch watch. She grabbed the controller and switched the channel.

"Hey, I was watching that!" Miroku frowned, grabbing for the controller. Kagome held it away.

"You don't want to make Sango angry. Trust me." Her tone made the boy sit bag down. He groaned, but leaned back into the couch and watched the documentary on caterpillars.

* * *

The bedroom door opened some while later to reveal a very decked-out Kagome. She seemed to not mind the outfit of choice, but upon taking her first step out of the room it was apparent that she'd never worn anything relating to high heels before. Miroku caught her by the arms just in time though and helped her stand up straight. "Good thing I was headed up here to check on you two or you might've fallen." He commented with a smirk.

"Be careful, Kagome. It seems as though you've never worn shoes like this before. We want revenge, not for you to end up in the emergency room." Sango retreated back into her room as she was only half dressed, and readied herself in the bathroom. Miroku was trying hard to peep, but the raven-haired girl in front of him decided to take out some of her smaller frustrations out on him by literally blocking him and his view.

"I know how to stand! Besides, it's not like I'm going to actually fall or anything." Kagome huffed before checking the time on her phone. "Uh, Sango it's getting kind of late. We don't want to miss the _entire_ party."

"I know, I know, sorry to hold you up!" The other girl rushed out of her room, pulling a heel onto her foot as she made her way down the hallway. "But now we can get going."

After nearly getting lost on several obscure backstreets, Miroku pulled up to a large house, the outside of which was filled to the brim with various makes and models of vehicles. They all belonged to people who were currently partying inside of the house, which the trio would join soon enough.

Once a parking spot was found, the teenagers exited the vehicle and had a moment to appreciate the sheer girth of the property, especially the house. "Ah, so this is where I'll lose my virginity." Miroku's voice was heard, before the echo of a rather loud slap filled the neighborhood. "I'm only kidding!" The boy quickly said, trying to excuse himself.

"_Just_ because I'm dressed this way, _doesn't_ mean you get to lay your hands on me any more than usual." Sango nearly set him on fire with her stare before walking off to the front door of the house. "Come on Kagome, we have things to do."

Kagome raised her eyebrows and started to follow her friend, taking a moment to look back at Miroku who was locking up the car. "If you try hard enough, maybe you'll even get to see her elbows." She decided poking fun at him wouldn't hurt.

"Laugh it up, why don't you." The boy sulked his way behind his friends as they made their way to the house.


	13. Intimidating Encounters

Once inside the large house, the trio was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people that managed to fit into one space. They were quickly split up, but they all had their phones on their selves, so no worries there seeing as they already knew this would happen.

"Well, while they set things up, I can figure out where our target is..." Kagome headed for some slightly higher ground and found a platform into an almost blocked-off hallway, using it to look around. Someone decided they were displeased with this display and walked up to her, nearly boring a hole into her with their stare.

"Leave." A cold, monotone voice commanded. Kagome nearly shivered, it was worse than Naraku's voice. She looked over at the source and saw a man with long, flowing black hair and unusually golden eyes. His face seemed calm but his words betrayed his expression.

"...Excuse me?" Kagome gawked. "Out of all the people here and you tell me specifically to leave?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Either you leave, or I make you leave." He said a bit loudly, making the hair on the back of the girl's neck stand on edge. She pursed her lips. He seemed as though he could easily ruin the plan, but she couldn't just simply leave.

"I'll... go wait for my friend by the door then. It shouldn't take them long." Kagome pulled out her phone as she stepped down from the upper level and walked towards the door. She opened her camera and carefully held part of it over her shoulder, pretending as though she were texting. She saw the man watch her for a few moments before walking away.

She carefully watched where he left to before she decided to walk to a different area of the house, wanting to avoid him as much as possible. Things were going smoothly until someone knocked into her shoulder, nearly pushing her to the ground. She grunted as she caught herself on a banister. "Hey, who do you think-" She cut herself off when she saw Naraku. A devilishly handsome Naraku.

He had the same expression on his face as she did. He wasn't exactly expecting to see her here, and she wasn't expecting to actually bump into him. They could only stare at each other until the sound of a change in song nearby broke the silence.

"And just _what_ are you doing here?" Naraku nearly hissed. As attractive as Kagome had looked, his hatred for her would never let him loosen up. Not that her being dressed up was for him or anything. The sexual tension must be secretly crushing them.

"Why does it matter to you? Can't I enjoy myself for once in my life, or are you going to ruin that too?" She raised her voice and folded her arms. As if _he_ had any right to say whether she could be here or not.

"It matters because _this is my house_, you little shit." His temper seemed to flare as he knew he was right. Kagome's arms dropped a bit; she was going to kill Miroku. "Now take your skanky ass that you tried so hard to make look pretty, and get the hell out of my sight." He pointed towards the door. Shit.

"Excuse me? Skanky? Is that the best thing you can come up with?" She scoffed and raised an eyebrow at him. "You put on your fancy, cheap cologne and your over-the-top blazer. You have your fancy pack of cigarettes in your shirt pocket and your pants are ironed _almost_ to perfection. Your hair is slicked back into some lazy style, and you didn't even do it right. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd be quite the hustler - except you're not. You never will be. What do you do, talk little girls out of their underwear? No... No, you can't even accomplish that; you can only swindle them out of their time. How does that make you feel, Naraku? You cheapskate." She spit on the floor by his _fancy_ shoes. This insult was made only worse by the fact that it was committed in his house, with witnesses all around. Fortunately for the boy, they were all too hopped up on liquor and sex to care about what was going on between the enemies.

"Come back to me when you think of an actual insult, you petty _fool_." Kagome gave him a cold glare, pausing to challenge him with a straight look into his eyes, before she left into another room.

Naraku was taken aback by all of that. He wouldn't have expected less than the pent-up rage from Kagome, he knows she's not weak enough to just walk off, but to defy him in his own household by spitting at him and then... and then challenging him, with that look? His demeanor wavered as he realized that he didn't know what to think for once. He didn't know how to react. She got him.


	14. Meeting Up

The raven haired girl silently huffed in angst to no one but herself. When that failed and she couldn't keep it in any longer, she found an empty bathroom to vent in. She nearly slammed the door shut and leaned over a sink nearby. "That asshole; how dare he? Even if this is his house... I'm not some welcome mat to be walked over whenever he pleases!" She grasped tightly onto the edges of the sink, her knuckles quickly turning white.

Her expression was filled with anger, betraying how pretty and sweet Sango worked so hard to make her look like. She stared at herself in the mirror before glaring at her reflection. "I'm nowhere near pretty enough to wear this." She looked down in shame before dropping to her knees. "Is... Is that Naraku talking again? Did he do that to me, make me hate myself?" She shut her eyes tightly. "I can see him now, still dressed in that stupid outfit of his... _god_ what a bad boy he thinks he is. He's nothing but a coward. He always has been and always will be."

"But... he's always taken it out on me. All of those insecurities he's gained about himself, he's tried to use me as his personal victim to take them out on. Thanks to him I've come to hate myself, hate my looks... He's taken away all of my friends... and now my grades are failing..." Kagome opened her eyes slowly.

"That's just it... he's done this nearly all my life. He's never going to stop, is he? He's going to keep doing this until I probably kill myself." She stood up slowly and stared at the ground, blinking slowly for a few moments, deciding her next move.

"If I don't do something soon... this really won't end. Despite what may happen, I'm going to get revenge. It may not be the right thing to do, but to me, it's fair. And right now that's all that matters. _Someone_ has to take him down a notch or two, at any rate." She shut her eyes for a moment, blocking out any tears that may ruin her makeup. When she felt them dissipate, she grabbed for her phone and texted Sango, asking if she was ready. A minute later, Sango sent the message that she and Miroku were ready as well. She took a deep breath then and left the bathroom. Time to get this over with.

* * *

Naraku was still in quite some rage, and he nearly growled as he saw his acquaintance in the distance. "Sesshomaru!" He called out, the anger apparent in his voice. The man with flowing black hair that the teenager sought out merely paused and looked over at him, waiting for him to come over. "I thought you said you'd find her if she came and would make her leave."

"If you're talking about Kagome, she told me she would wait for her friend by the door. I assumed she would do as told." Sesshomaru brushed it off as though it didn't even bother Naraku. Naraku, on the other hand, was seething. He grabbed Sesshomaru by his shirt collar and dragged him to a secluded closet in the blocked-off hallway that Kagome wouldn't even go into. Once inside, Naraku shoved him into the closest wall.

"Not only is she running around, but her brat of a friend is here too. I _told_ you to keep an eye on her! She told me off and humiliated me in front of people out there. And you're standing here as though nothing is wrong?!" He raised his hand, as though to hit the other man.

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes and grabbed Naraku's arm, squeezing it. "Watch your tone. I am above you; I won't have any of that." He threw the teenager's arm away and folded his arms. "Just because you have some kind of personal vendetta out against this girl, does not mean I am your enemy." He watched him carefully.

Naraku shut his eyes and sighed heavily. "You're right. I'm sorry." He straightened up and looked at the man. "I'm just lost on how she keeps trying to fight me back. It's unusual. She'll do what she can to prove me wrong, and she can't be trusted by her word. I need you to help me. Please."

The man watched his younger acquaintance, knowing how desperate he was. "Fine."

A twitch from the corner of Naraku's mouth could have been mistaken for a smile. He had an ally. "You won't be disappointed, I promise you that. Your help will go a long way, friend."

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed. "Friend, hm?"

Naraku nodded; right before he walked up to him and kissed him.


	15. Revenge

Shortly thereafter, Sesshomaru exited the closet and was followed a few moments later by Naraku. They brushed themselves off, acting as though nothing had just transpired, and so were quite shocked to see Kagome standing a mere few feet away. Sesshomaru eyed her suspiciously, but stepped back, not trusting her. He had every right to worry. The power was in her hands now.

"What are you doing back here? This hallway is off-limits." Naraku squeezed his wrist as he fixed one of his sleeves, nervous. A smile crept onto Kagome's face.

"Funny you should be asking me that, Naraku. I thought you'd have noticed me sooner." A chill shot up the spine of the boy before her.

"...Just what do you mean?" He asked; his voice tense and his heartbeat quickening. But what did he have to worry about? It's not like he had anything to be afraid of, right?

Kagome held out her hands, which had been conveniently hidden behind her back beforehand. Within her grasp lay a tape recorder, something that would look innocent in another other situation. She looked down at it and gently petted it as though it were something worth more than gold itself. "Oh, what do I mean? I'd like to hear what you think I mean." She shot a dirty look up at Naraku, done playing nice. Her look dared him to take a step towards her.

He dared to do so anyways, and snatched the recorder from her very hands, causing her to burst out into a bone-chilling laugh. The sweet innocent Kagome he'd bullied for years was currently on vacation in Revenge, population: Naraku. "What are you going to do, break it? Go ahead. Go on, do it." She placed her hands on her hips, waiting.

Naraku proceeded to do just that, by throwing it just past her head at a nearby wall. She flinched, but didn't move. "Feel better about that? Because you won't once you learn what I've already done with that recording." An audible groan was heard from the bad boy as she spoke. "I can't believe you didn't notice me in the air vent above you! You two really are stupider than I gave you credit for, congratulations." She clapped her hands together slowly, filling the hallway with the echoes of her thinly veiled hostility.

What sounded like a mix of a deep exhale and a growl came from Naraku's throat. He balled his hands into fists with so much force that a knuckle or two cracked. "...What did you do? _Answer me right now._" He sounded angry as hell and Kagome was eating up every bit of it.

"I recorded it; all of it. I _especially_ got the part where you two kissed. My, my, I never took you for gay, Naraku." She smirked upon seeing how fast Naraku slapped his forehead. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and turned away.

"I'm... I'm not that! Not... really? Like, I don't know, okay. It's hard trying to figure that out." He sounded frustrated and confused, and a small pang of guilt shot through the girl. It took her a moment to remember why she was here and what she was doing this for, and reinforced her attitude.

"I mean, I know I like girls... but..." Naraku was talking to himself, staring at his hands, now thoroughly eaten up.

"Well, that's not my problem, now is it? It's your problem. You have to explain that to everyone else, too." And then everyone froze. Both males looked up to the raven haired girl slowly. "That's right, you heard me. I'm not the only one who saw you two kiss. You may want to rethink having two large TV's outside. You never know what could pop up on them."

Kagome then turned and got a head start on running before Naraku could even think about doing so. He then began to promptly chase her, leaving Sesshomaru behind to be slightly stunned and think of what to do. He found his own way around, not willing to be seen by others at the moment and not willing to be as reckless in his running.

* * *

After bumping into nearly every party guest in the household, Kagome made it outside, with Naraku hot on her tail. He seemed to be in too blind of a fury to realize where she was taking him, and she liked it that way.

She ran up onto a platform beside two large televisions in front of some odd-hundred guests; there may have even been around a thousand people. Naraku chased her onto the platform and had his hands just around her neck when she yelled "Stop!" He paused at that, and could only freeze completely upon a noise coming from the television. He turned slowly, only to be looking up at the scene in the closet replaying... in front of _everyone_.

Naraku's heart dropped into his stomach and he swallowed dry saliva. This wasn't good. He was ruined. "It... it was played live. This entire time. I would have been too late anyways." He muttered, his mind going blank. The televisions turned off, and he looked over at Kagome. He eyed her up and down. She had the utter look of satisfaction, and nothing less, on her smug face.

In the distance, Sesshomaru had shown up only moments before the televisions shut off. But it was enough for him to know what had happened. His eyes locked on Kagome. That girl was trouble.

But Kagome knew she won this round. She knew as she dared a look into Naraku's eyes and saw how truly lost he was for once.


End file.
